How much dessert do you actually need for a party?

This is the question we get asked before almost every dessert table and corporate order: how much is enough? Too little and the table looks bare by the time guests arrive for photos. Too much and you’re sending people home with boxes they didn’t ask for. Here’s the rule of thumb we use.

The per-guest rule

For a mixed dessert spread — a bit of everything, not a single cake — plan for 2 to 3 pieces per guest if desserts are one part of a bigger spread with other food, or 3 to 4 pieces per guest if dessert is the main event (a dessert-table-only party, or an afternoon tea). Round up, not down: a slightly fuller table always reads better in photos than a picked-over one, and small bakes like cookies and madeleines get taken in twos without anyone noticing.

How our packages map onto that

Our dessert table packages are built around this math. Petite (S$680, 4 selections on a 1.2m table) suits an intimate gathering of around 15–20 guests. Party (S$980, 7 selections on a 1.8m table) comfortably covers 30–40. Grand (S$1,580, 10 selections on a 2.4m table) is built for 60 guests and up — the scale we’ve used for full wedding mornings. Each selection is one full tray of a single flavour, so more selections means more variety, not just more volume.

For office parties and smaller gatherings

If a styled table is more than you need, our party boxes of 12 (cupcakes, bundts, madeleines, cheesecake cups) work well for smaller office celebrations — two boxes typically covers a team of 10–12 comfortably with the 2-per-person rule. For a genuinely small gathering, the Dessert Garden Box or Tart Box does the job as a shared centrepiece rather than individual servings.

Whatever the size, book early: dessert tables need three weeks’ notice and a 50% deposit, with late-booking surcharges under three weeks.